Escape to the Country's Jules Hudson 'heartbroken' as host shares fears after loss

Jules Hudson opened up about a family loss (Image: BBC)

Jules Hudson addressed the death of his father, who sadly died at the age of 93. The Escape to the Country presenter, 54, said he watched his dad "shrink into a smaller world" following his struggles with hearing loss.

The BBC favourite admitted it was "heartbreaking" to witness his dad's health decline as he encouraged the public to seek medical attention and get their hearing checked.

Speaking exclusively to Express Online, Jules spoke candidly about his loved one's death in 2022, which left him devastated.

"I remember my father famously always sort of denied the fact that he had hearing loss, and I watched him over so many years, just shrink into a smaller world," he explained. "It was all because he was embarrassed about it and didn't want to wear hearing aids."

"Watching his life get harder for him was heartbreaking."

Escape to the Country presenter Jules Hudson spoke exclusively to Express Online (Image: CHANNEL 5)

Jules continued: "[My father's hearing] was declining. He passed away at 93 a couple of years ago. But I would say that for the last 30 years of his life, we have watched it happen. It was heartbreaking.

He did go and get some hearing aids, but he would never wear them together. He would pick and choose when he wore them. He never really embraced the solution that was on offer. 30 years ago, they were different. Now, they are far more discreet and far better, far more effective at managing the complex sounds that we all endure every day."

Alongside his career in presenting on shows, including BBC's Escape to the Country and Channel 5's This Week on the Farm, Jules often makes furniture.

Despite having a "clean bill of health", he admittedly leads a "noisy life" with many distractions from wood cutting to maintaining his family home and outdoor spaces, which he shares with his wife and son.

Jules Hudson is encouraging the public to get their hearing checked (Image: Instagram Jules Hudson)

The BBC presenter remarked: "There's no doubt about it, as somebody [working] in broadcasting but also somebody who appreciates being able to hear everything around them and is lucky enough to do so, it's a huge part of life. I'd be lost.

I'm very fortunate that my hearing is not too bad. But I am conscious that as you get older, things happen. I think hearing is one of those things that sort of creeps up on you.

It's not like spraining your ankle or cutting your hand open; it's not obvious."

Jules has teamed up with Specsavers to encourage others to attend their free hearing check and he recently went for a free hearing check in Ludlow.

"The joy for me to recommend hearing checks is that it really is easy to do," he commented. "It might reveal something quite early on that you can then start to tackle and manage and enjoy life to the full."

Jules said, "I'm all for encouraging people to find solutions when they need them. If we hadn't invented hearing aids, we would be crying out and praying for somebody to do something. So the fact that they are available and that hearing checks are so easy, I'm all for it.

I'm happy to encourage people to make a positive change if they think they've got an issue."

Specsavers free hearing tests make it easy to keep track of your hearing health. To find out more information or to book visit their website.